The Northern Ireland Assembly is heading for suspension so how do its members feel about losing their powers? Alison Healy spoke to five MLAs about their uncertain futures.
DANNY KENNEDY, UUP member for Newry and Armagh
"Uncertainty goes with the territory when you are a politician," says Mr Danny Kennedy. "I think it has always been at the back of people's minds, especially in the early days.
"Now that it has stayed together for such a long time, people have been lulled into a false sense of security. But politics, by its nature, is a very insecure profession."
Mr Kennedy spent 20 "very happy years" in British Telecom and gave up his clerical job to become a full-time public representative in 1998. He describes his time in the Assembly as "fulfilling and very satisfying in many ways."
Does he believe he and his colleagues will be back in the Assembly again or will it be a case of back to clerical work? "Well, we'll be taking a look at the CVs again but we'll not be sending them out at this stage," he says.
JANE MORRICE, Women's Coalition member for North Down
Ms Jane Morrice says she has no intention of seeking an alternative job. "What on earth does one do with a redundant deputy speaker?" she asks. Ms Morrice was European Commission representative to Northern Ireland up until 1997 but is not even considering the fact that the Assembly might not return. "We've got to be back there," she says.
"Disappointment" is too mild a word to describe how she feels. "I am frustrated, infuriated. It's such a shame and a disgrace that all the work that's been done in the past four years seems to have been of little value." Ms Morrice points to an amendment to a Bill that would protect a spouse where their partner dies bankrupt. "It's just one example, but what will happen to that now? I don't want to let that go." She has also been involved in setting up a shadow youth Assembly and met some "enthused" young people at the Assembly recently.
ALASDAIR McDONNELL, SDLP member for South Belfast
Whether MLAs lose their jobs is an issue for everyone but "by no means a major one," according to Dr McDonnell. More important is the possible setback to the tentative relationships being formed between all sides. "You couldn't call them friendships, but a lot of working relationships were being formed across party lines," he says.
Dr McDonnell believes the Assembly has fulfilled about 25-30 per cent of its potential "but if we manage to get it right, the sky's the limit." In 20 years' time, Northern Ireland could be as comfortable and prosperous as Luxembourg, "if we do our homework right," he says.
Dr McDonnell says the Assembly must pick up where it left off. "Things have changed and moved on and we have to live and let live."
He still works part-time at his GP surgery in Belfast, depending on the pressures of the Assembly.
PAUL BERRY, DUP member for Newry and Armagh
Redundancy holds no fears for the youngest member of the Assembly, Mr Paul Berry (26). He says the future of Northern Ireland is more important than job security. "We have to think of the future of our country. I believe our party has made the right decision this week," he says.
When the Assembly was set up, some observers said that once politicians in Northern Ireland tasted the spoils of government, they would never let go. That is "certainly not the case" with the DUP. "During all the debates in our party, I never once heard anyone say 'what about our jobs?' It's all about the future of our country." He has enjoyed his time in office and meeting Queen Elizabeth when she visited the Assembly was the highlight. "There were plenty of lowlights, believe me." As to an alternative career, he studied business and worked in the textile industry before joining the Assembly. But earning a living is a secondary concern.
SUE RAMSEY, Sinn Féin member for West Belfast
"We'll still continue to carry out our work, whether it's constituency or political work," says Ms Ramsey. She was a voluntary community worker before becoming an MLA. "You find other avenues to go down. But it's easier to talk to local ministers than talk to absentee ministers." She is particularly concerned at the likely delays in an inquiry into Northern Ireland's arrangements for the protection of children from abuse. That inquiry began in May but a suspension of the Assembly would delay this.
The Assembly has worked very well, she says. While DUP leaders say they have nothing to do with Sinn Féin, she sits on the health committee with two DUP members. "So it's very frustrating when they come out and say that." Frustration aptly describes Ms Ramsey's current mood. "There is a lot of frustration."